The Surprise of Command Staff

Being a subordinate is easy -- you are focused on your job and completing tasks. Especially as a back seat firefighter, you wake up, get some breakfast, grab some lunches, water and Gatorade. If things are going well, you get some ice. You get driven to the fire line, told what the plan is and put your head down and work. You get done with work and get driven back to camp to get some dinner and rinse and repeat. It’s the most fun job in the world -- work hard when there is work to be done and sometimes there's down time to play cards, read, or solve all the world’s problems with some of your best friends.

We go from easily the greatest job in the world and take that giant step to being the boss. Crew boss, engine boss, firefighter type 1 -- over night you go from being one of the crew to being the “the man”, supervisor, middle management, fun police. Yes, I know I am being overly dramatic, it takes a week or so. But I had my eyes opened by my former “fun police” and mentor, who shared a very complex and deep realization that I had never really considered or confronted before.

The step up in leadership comes with some unrealized and dramatic changes that can be so quickly overlooked, and not completely understood by a new leader.

1    You are now part of the command staff.

Promotion to a new leadership position means you are now part of that chain of command. All the good, the bad and ugly that you used to look at from lower in the chain, you are now part of it. This was pointed out to me, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. In conversations I referred to the agency and the leadership like I used to, but now I am literally part of it. 

We have all seen that leader get promoted that was part of the crew, maybe a little wild, little disrespectful, maybe in a little over the top and they change like a light switch when they are promoted. What happened? How did they go from wild child to company man overnight? How could they not go up there and shake out the problems they lobbied for before their promotion? Well, they just became part of that leadership team and the dynamics are not the same. Once you are there and involved in that new role expectations and needs change. 

For me it was the realization that I now must value things differently than I did before, things that seemed trivial or why is that a big deal, now are extremely important not for me but for the people below me. That role comes with taking care of people below you not about some administrative decision or paperwork that is redundant but about being sure your people’s needs are met: food, water, shelter, training, equipment, payroll.

2.     Acknowledgement of a job well done.

Everyone looks for that pat on the back or words of encouragement from their boss. Tt goes an extremely long way to building your confidence especially as a new leader. Even more so when you have had a couple of those welcome to leadership situations that every new leader gets hit with, the ones that weren't in the training manual or S-131 or S-231. But with your step in leadership or promotion you just become part of that command staff. The expectation for you is to make those tough decisions. 

As that new leader where do you draw confidence and strength when you are struggling through those new position growth? My mentor pointed this out to me, it’s the people below you. Servant leadership, mission-driven leadership, is focused on taking care of the people around you. Are they happy coming to work? Do they have what they need? Are they able to grow and advance? Are you addressing the reasons that you might have disagreed with you leadership in the past and providing a great working environment? I am not advocating that you are going to get a meaningful 'thank you' or a 'you're doing a great job,' but as a leader can you see how the team is functioning and that is your pat on the back, your acknowledgment that you are performing your job well.

These two simple facts seem so obvious. I was dumb struck when he pointed them out, but over the last few days they have really hit home. Being part of the leadership of your crew or agency accompanied with realizing where to look to see if you are having that impact that led you to taking that leadership step will help support you as a new leader when things don’t seem like they are going in the right direction.

Christopher Ayer is a Captain/ Paramedic/ Engine Boss Trainee/ Wildland Coordinator for Corona De Tucson Fire Department in Tucson Arizona. The expressions and views are those of the author.

 

What Kind of Leader Do You Image being?

 Author: Christopher Ayer, Corona De Tucson Fire Department

How do we lead? What does leadership look like in your mind?

Everyone has an image of what a great leader looks like from the outside. We’ve all seen examples of outstanding leadership: Dick Winters leading at Brecourt Manor, Phil Jackson coaching the Bulls to a three-peat, Franklin D. Roosevelt guiding the nation through the Great Depression and World War II. But none of us wake up one day as that caliber of leader. Promotion doesn’t magically give us all the characteristics or skills those individuals displayed when they led with excellence.

Recently, there’s been a lot of discussion around impostor syndrome—a concept that hits most new leaders at some point. Those feelings of inadequacy, of not being good enough, are completely normal. The first few weeks or months in a new leadership role are often filled with doubt, overthinking, and second-guessing. You may ask yourself if you’re truly ready to lead, especially when tasked with guiding your peers.

This isn’t a new struggle. It’s been around for centuries. Consider this quote from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius:

"If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment."

After my own promotion, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I stumbled. I second-guessed almost every decision and criticized myself daily. My choices felt either too late or never good enough. This led to hesitation, indecision, and often trying to change course midstream. Before I knew it, I was micromanaging everything—not because I didn’t trust my crew, but because I felt like it was the only way I could prove I was doing my job.

It wasn’t until my most senior firefighter and engineer started joking (and grumbling) about my constant oversight that I realized how off track I’d gotten. Fortunately, I had a great crew—experienced, driven, and many with twice my time in the fire service. Two of them even helped train me when I first got hired. They didn’t need me telling them every step—they thrived with autonomy. Their gentle but honest intervention forced me to take a step back and come up with a plan.

The turning point came when I asked myself: What do I want my leadership to look like? Visualizing my ideal approach helped me step back and truly observe situations. It gave me a better sense of what the crew needed, and how I could support rather than control.

That reflection led to a few core questions I return to often:

• What does leading look like to me?
• What do my interactions with crew members look and feel like?
• What kind of leader would I want to follow?

When you’re stuck in impostor syndrome, it can be hard to see the leader you want to become. It blinds us to the possibility of being the lead-by-example, servant-minded leader we admire in others.

The final piece for me was revisiting Leadership Strategies and Tactics by Jocko Willink. In the section on impostor syndrome, he reframed something that had been weighing me down: the slow decision-making, the self-doubt, the constant worry about how my choices would be perceived. He helped me see that those feelings didn’t mean I was failing—they meant I cared. I cared enough to want to get it right. That realization helped me shift from doubt to preparation. It reminded me that I didn’t need to rush. Taking a moment to think things through meant better long-term results. I began to see the “why” behind my hesitation, and that gave me the confidence to move forward with purpose.

So, I’ll ask again—what does leading look like to you?

Christopher Ayer is a Captain/ Paramedic/ Engine Boss Trainee/ Wildland Coordinator for Corona De Tucson Fire Department in Tucson Arizona. The expressions and views are those of the author.

Time to Get Real: Authenticity and Congruence as a Wildland Fire Leader

 Author: Nick Terrell, National Wildfire Coordinating Group

Can you think of someone you work with, or have worked with, who’s actions and words don’t match? I bet you can, and I can too. It's called incongruence and it's not a desirable leadership trait. The extreme example of this behavior is the “do as I say, not as I do” leader. You don’t need to hear it from me that this method will lose a person in a position of power massive amounts of respect real quick. You know that already, probably from experience. On the less offensive side of the spectrum, this behavior could manifest as someone who is remiss to speak up or who speaks up in a way that they perceive is socially acceptable in their peer group but does not align with their personal character. It's someone who is not living in a way that is true to their personal value system.

I have been this person, and I have known many smart, capable, and competent wildland firefighters who speak and act differently when they are faced with an opportunity to step into a spotlight. No matter how small that spotlight may be, the fear of being judged by our peers can keep us from manifesting our true character. As a Follower developing into a New Leader (reference the Wildland Fire Leadership Levels https://www.nwcg.gov/committee/leadership-committee/leadership-levels) I hesitated to speak up and show my true character) I hesitated to speak up and show my true character.  I believe that was a function of building competency and confidence when making this leadership level transition. In other words, I had not yet built the various skill competencies that wildland firefighters use, so I could not conceptualize how to overlay my personal value system in carrying out my Duty.

It was the transition from New Leader to Leader of People where I hesitated to speak up because of a fear of judgement. At this point in my career, I was confident and competent, and I knew that I did not use my confidence to mask a lack of competence. Some people do that. I bet you have encountered those folks in your career too. I had reached a level of skill competency where I could authentically manifest my personal values in my leadership style, but I did not speak and act in a way that was true to that value system for fear of judgement from my peer group.

So let's back up a bit. I mentioned incongruence as the undesirable leadership trait. What we need to focus on and strive for is congruence in what we say and what we do. Congruence is an effective and desirable leadership trait because of its association with authenticity. Effective leaders are authentic. You can sense it.

When leaders speak and act in alignment, you can tell that it's coming from a genuine place. From a place based on what they value as a person. Through this alignment of action, word, and value, a person manifests their true character. So now think of the person who you have worked with who employs authenticity in their leadership style. Maybe it was someone who wasn't even in a leadership position, but you could feel that they were putting their heart behind what they said and did. On the rare chance that you can’t think of an example, maybe the person is you. This person is a much more effective and likeable leader, the kind of person we all want to work with.

I have worked with too many good people who do not practice congruence and authenticity. I believe that many wildland firefighters hesitate to show their true character and values because they fear being seen or ultimately judged by peers for what we perceive to be deviations from what is culturally acceptable. This phenomenon is difficult for me to cope with and it's hard for me to abide by. I believe it reduces the richness of our wildland fire culture.

Perhaps you don’t have a clear picture of what your personal value system is. No shame if you don’t, values change over time. People change over time. I could not have articulated my personal values until somewhat recently when I completed a values assessment. I have included the assessment I took below and I encourage you to take it to map your personal value system to gain a good anchor point to lead people from.

A wildland fire leader’s ability to manifest their personal value system congruently between their actions and their words is a core skill. A Personal Anchor Skill. We have the Duty to be proficient in our jobs, both technically and as a leader. Effective and proficient leaders lead from an authentic position based in their personal value system. Through authentic behavior, fire leaders generate Respect by knowing their subordinates and looking out for their wellbeing, and they lead with Integrity by setting the example. Speak and act in alignment with who you are and what drives you as a person no matter how unique your style may be. The people you lead will respond to it positively, even if there are aspects of your character that stand in contrast to their own.

References:

1) Further reading to expand your perspective of authenticity and congruence:

“Congruence is what separates the most influential leaders from everyone else. Here’s why.” Matthew Jones. Inc.com. 2018.

https://www.inc.com/matthew-jones/congruence-is-what-separates-most-influential-leaders-from-everyone-else-heres-why.html

2) Personal Values System Assessment:

https://www.guilford.com/add/miller11_old/pers_val.pdf?t=1

- - -

Nick Terrell is a career federal wildland firefighter. Following a career altering injury, he left his position on a handcrew for a wildland fire support position. The career change has allowed him to pursue a master’s degree at Boise State University studying Conflict Management and Leadership. He still maintains operational fire qualifications and is a diligent student of fire.

What is Your Conflict Style?

 Author: Nick Terrell, Bureau of Land Management Fire

Have you ever conceptualized the way that you handle interpersonal conflict? I started to take a hard look at how I engaged in conflict after my relationship with a past manager deteriorated while working as a handcrew assistant/detailed handcrew captain over the course of seven years. When I was done being angry at the manager, and when I accepted that my actions were the only ones that I had agency over, I supposed it was time to change my tactics.

The first lesson learned was that conflict is unavoidable. If you're living life with the goal of zero conflict and “all good vibes” it's not going to work. The next lesson that comes on the coattails of the first is that conflict is a gift. Through uncovering your, or your opposing party’s position, you have a clear anchor point to begin addressing the issue from. In other words, if you uncover the “no” you know where the boundary is and can then work to find an alternative.

There is a simple model - the Thomas-Kilmann Instrument (TKI) - that defines five behaviors that humans use when addressing conflicts with others: competing, avoiding, accommodating, compromising, and collaborating. In the model, the behaviors are organized spatially on a graph (see figure). One axis represents the importance of one’s goals, and the other axis represents the importance of their relationship with the other party. When you look at a person’s behavior in managing conflict as a ratio of prioritizing their goals vs. prioritizing the relationship, it depersonalizes the issue.

Source (A.O. Nichols. Making Conflict Suck Less: The Basics. Boise State Pressbooks. 2020)

If you have a shred of empathy, you can acknowledge that the other party is a human with their own set of values and motivations, right? Those values and motivations dictate their actions and goals in conflict, just like yours. Knowing how you prefer to engage in conflict and understanding the spectrum of conflict behaviors increases your situational awareness. I have come to view interpersonal conflict as being similar to wildland fire suppression in that different situations call for different strategies and tactics. We are all capable of switching from direct to indirect tactics when fire behavior forces our hand. Why couldn’t we switch from accommodating to competing behavior in conflict when an issue is very important to us? Better yet, why couldn’t we have the patience to work with the other party to collaborate on a solution that satisfies both of our goals and strengthens the relationship by co-creating a resolution?

Over the seven years I spent on my last crew - the one that I desired to one day run - I had primarily employed the conflict behaviors that prioritize the relationship. When faced with conflict I avoided, accommodated, or compromised. This led to the formation of resentments for the manager I worked for, who primarily employed the conflict behavior of competing. I wanted a good working relationship, they wanted personal goal fulfillment. We were going north and south in terms of how we were engaging in conflict. Sometimes I wonder if events could have played out differently if I had advocated more for my own goals in conflict with this individual.

What was the last issue over which you had open disagreement with another person? Draw it up in your mind. Did you address the issue with the person directly? Did you wait a little while, think it over, and bring it up later? Did you bury it without addressing it? If you did bring it up, how did you go about addressing the issue? There is no shame in any posture when it comes to handling conflict. What matters is knowing which conflict strategy you typically employ, and that there are other strategies available to you to work toward resolution. What matters more is having the courage to do it.  

A fire leader’s ability to navigate conflict effectively with others is a core skill. A personal anchor skill. As part of our duty to develop our subordinates for the future, we must create a culture of respect while building our teams. Fire leaders must show integrity in knowing themselves and seeking improvement, accepting responsibility for their actions, and setting the example. Do not hesitate to address conflict. Do not show discouragement when faced with setbacks. Do choose the difficult right over the easy wrong. Show your supervisors, peers, and subordinates that you are comfortable with conflict to build the kind of culture that embraces it for the gift that it can be.

I have included a link to a free version of the Thomas-Kilman conflict styles assessment below.

Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Styles Assessment: https://www.usip.org/public-education-new/conflict-styles-assessment

Nick Terrell is a career federal wildland firefighter. Following a career altering injury, he left his position on a handcrew for a wildland fire support position. The career change has allowed him to pursue a master’s degree at Boise State University studying Conflict Management and Leadership. He still maintains operational fire qualifications and is a diligent student of fire.

What Is Your Favorite Part of the Book? Which Chapter Was Your Favorite?

 

Author: Christopher Ayer, Corona De Tucson Fire Department

How do we develop leadership and growth in our younger crew members between classes?

The Diamond Mountain Hotshots have adopted a unique strategy for fostering growth and leadership within their crew. Recognizing a gap in leadership development after completing the L-280 course "Followership to Leadership", a crew member highlighted the lack of intermediate training opportunities that could further enhance leadership skills.

Meghann Gunther, a member of the crew, articulated this concern. Gunther underscores the necessity of supplemental training to bridge the gap between foundational courses like L-280 and higher-level leadership roles. She emphasizes that such training is vital for not only her personal development but also for cultivating the leadership potential within her crew.

“There were no additional resources given to the building our leadership skills during our upcoming season and it felt more like an event to simply check boxes for wildfire qualifications. It's content was made up of well-intentioned material, but it felt sterile. I didn’t come away with a lot of that translated to me on an operational basis at my GS-3 level. Maybe I was put through that class too early. However, it was the next step in leadership training available and it was an opportunity to attend and participate.”

The superintendent of the Diamond Mountain Hotshots, Daniel Dobyns recognized an opportunity to invest in his crew’s growth and took proactive steps to address their needs. By engaging in open dialogue and asking thoughtful questions, he worked with the team to identify areas where development was most needed. Together, they devised an innovative plan to foster leadership and communication skills: a weekly reading and discussion group, or “book club.” The crew began reading and discussing chapters from the Extreme Ownership Workbook, a guide rooted in the principles of leadership and accountability outlined by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.

Each Monday, they dedicated time to reflect on the reading, sharing insights and exploring ways to apply the lessons in their daily work. In addition, Megahnn Gunther  introduced Dale Carnegie's classic How to Win Friends and Influence People, recognizing that strong communication skills were crucial for both individual and team success. This dual focus on leadership and interpersonal development exemplifies the crew's commitment to holistic growth, ensuring that each member not only performs well in their roles but also gains the skills necessary to lead and collaborate effectively.

This approach underscores a significant leadership lesson for superintendents, engine bosses, and captains: the value of incorporating underutilized methods to foster growth and engagement within crews and engines. Our personnel are eager for opportunities to develop their skills and leadership potential, creating a synergistic relationship where we as leaders are learning from them incorporating a growth mindset. By offering innovative and alternative strategies to meet these needs, leaders can achieve both individual growth and increased crew buy-in. While foundational leadership courses provide an essential starting point, they are not sufficient to sustain motivation and development throughout a firefighter's career.

In today’s challenging environment of retention, creating positive opportunities for growth and engagement is critical to keeping talented personnel excited about their work in wildfire management. Resources like the NWCG Professional Reading Program offer a wealth of tools, including curated books and discussion guides, to support self-study and facilitate meaningful growth for individuals and crews. By leveraging these resources and encouraging creative approaches, leaders can cultivate a motivated, cohesive team ready to face the dynamic demands of wildland firefighting.

Christopher Ayer is a Captain/ Paramedic/ Engine Boss Trainee/ Wildland Coordinator for Corona De Tucson Fire Department in Tucson Arizona. The expressions and views are those of the author.

Leading Self and Self-Care

Author: Nick Terrell, Bureau of Land Management Fire

One of the most impactful lessons I have learned recently has been the importance of self-care. Along with mental health, self-care is a buzzworthy topic in the wildland fire field. But there's a good reason for that: we are burning out at an alarming rate (not a news flash by any means in 2025). It has taken me a few years to realize it - and it’s an admission of vulnerability in doing so - but I was approaching a burnout event the year that I got injured and had to sit on the bench for fire season. Looking back, I was not making enough effort to adequately manage my stress levels. What I have realized is that it really doesn't take much.

In some recent leadership coursework for my graduate program at Boise State, we examined principles of self-leadership. This work was based on the concept that we must be able to lead ourselves before we can lead others effectively. What is your personal value system and how does it line up with the mission statement of your organization? What are your personal motivators that move you to go to work? What’s your definition of leadership? What are your practices of self-care that sustain you in your work and life? If you are unsure of your answers to any of these questions, it's time for a tactical pause.

If you would have asked me these questions in the years leading up to my injury and burnout event, I bet I could have given you an answer that sounded good. It would not have been genuine. The self-reflection that I have undertaken since then has given me some great perspective, but it wasn’t easy. Any venture that involves cutting yourself open and examining what is inside can be easy to shy away from. This has to be why many of us (my former self included) resist doing this work.

The good news is that there is low-hanging fruit on the leading self tree. Assess your current self-care practice. Do it by casting a wide net - a self-care practice can be as unique as the person practicing it. It is also a Personal Anchor Skill for wildland fire leaders. Diet and exercise, journaling or creative writing, meditation, sleep, quality time with family and friends, random acts of kindness and charity, setting aside time to build or create (or destroy). It's all about what fills your cup and what works for you.

What are you currently doing that improves your mental and physical health? Are there opportunities to expand on those practices? What could you stop doing or easily start doing that will benefit you? Write it out on paper and identify the small actions you could take now. Translate those actions into goals and put them on

your calendar. For example, when do you want to accomplish the goal, or how often will you take the action? Take it one step further and set reminders for self-care goals on your personal device.

Start by setting the bar low! Sometimes we fail to implement self-care practice because we want the “gold standard” option. Use the infrastructure that you already have in place. The example I will give from my own self-care plan was using the mindfulness feature on my fitness tracker watch. I have kept a daily morning meditation practice for a few years now that has improved my focus and lowered my stress level. Using my fitness tracker feature to break up the day with a few short (three minute) mindfulness breaks amplified the benefits considerably. It was easy to add to my routine and it produced measurable results. The lesson learned was that a few feet turn into miles quickly when you put some thought into your self-care practice.

The ability to know yourself and take care of yourself so you can show up for others is a core skill - a Personal Anchor Skill. You can’t fill any cups if yours is empty; and in all aspects of their jobs, wildland fire leaders have plenty of cups to fill. We have a Duty to develop our subordinates for the future. It is a two-fold measure of Respect to be able to do so effectively - respect for ourselves that translates to respect for the people we lead. For those of us in the later stages of our careers, maybe the best we can do is to have the Integrity to model the good self-care practices for the next generation of wildland fire leaders.

Read more about leading self and self-care here:

“We Cannot Lead Others Without First Leading from Within.” Lolly Daskal. TED Talk. 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGIw1G7Kpgk

“Serious Leaders Need Self-Care Too.” Palena Neale. Harvard Business Review. 2020. https://hbr.org/2020/10/serious-leaders-need-self-care-too

Nick Terrell is a career federal wildland firefighter. Following a career altering injury, he left his position on a handcrew for a wildland fire support position. The career change has allowed him to pursue a master’s degree at Boise State University studying Conflict Management and Leadership. He still maintains operational fire qualifications and is a diligent student of fire.

Perspective Is Your Reality

 Author: Christopher Ayer, Corona De Tucson Fire Department

Do the stories we tell ourselves about interactions with fellow firefighters or supervisors shape our beliefs about our agency?

I joined the fire service after a long career in professional basketball. In that world, everything revolved around my ability to produce results: points scored, rebounds, blocked shots, and my plus/minus stats while I was on the court. (The plus/minus stat is a topic for another time; probably a future post.) These stats dictated my pay, my career trajectory, and where I would go next. Naturally, I brought this performance-driven mentality into my first wildfire season.

I approached every day as though I were in a game: I had to produce. If we weren’t on the fire line, I treated it like practice. I pushed myself to do more, work harder, and absorb everything immediately. In my mind, producing results was the key to keeping my job, earning more money, or getting my task book opened. This mindset had been ingrained in me throughout my adult life—and even before.

This drive to constantly "produce" eventually led to a blow-up with my first engine boss. We had an epic argument about how I felt he was holding me back, not teaching me enough, and preventing me from gaining valuable experience. I was doing everything I could—stocking the cooler, cleaning the cab, digging line, knowing where every piece of equipment was. To me, it was like building a stat line, and I viewed my boss as just another bad coach.

But years later, with more experience and a few more wildfire seasons under my belt, I realized I had misunderstood the situation completely. I was the problem. My mentality, shaped by years of competitive sports, was at the root of the issue—and I didn’t even realize it. My boss was teaching, and I was learning, but I was focused on the wrong things. There was no "stat line" to track. A pre-position is not the same as a roll catching initial attacks or working a hotline with firing operations every day.

At the time, I convinced myself that my boss was holding me back intentionally, possibly because training me would eventually cost him more money. I was working on a contract truck, and he would have to pay more for certifications and classes. In my mind, gaining experience and knowledge meant he'd have to pay me more, so I told myself he didn’t want me to grow. This belief came from the business I had left—where rookies don’t get paid much, and experience costs money. I clung to this narrative for years, unable to see that I was just an inexperienced firefighter fresh out of S-130, S-190, and L-180, focused on the wrong things. This false perspective led to that eventual blow-up.

Which brings us back to the question: Do the stories we tell ourselves affect our interactions and beliefs about our situation and agency?

I believe the answer is a resounding YES. Our personal perspective shapes how we interpret situations and interactions with individuals and agencies. If we keep telling ourselves negative stories—believing we were wronged by a person or our agency—eventually, all our interactions will be tainted by that narrative. This negative outlook becomes our reality.

Personally, I created a negative perspective of my first engine boss due to my own lack of experience and understanding. Over time, I convinced myself that he didn’t want me to grow or improve. As a leader, I now realize that we often have to manage subordinates or coworkers who are stuck in a negative mindset, which affects how they perceive every interaction. If someone’s view of reality is skewed by negativity, everything will take on a pessimistic slant: They’re against me. They don’t want me to succeed. They’re out to get me. Simple interactions with a leader or agency that’s trying to foster growth become negative because of that warped perspective.

This attitude not only affects the individual, but it can also influence their coworkers and new employees who don’t yet have enough experience to see the bigger picture. Ultimately, it can shape the culture of the entire agency.

Which leads to the broader question: Does a change in operations take on a different meaning when viewed through the lens of negativity? If negative stories dominate the narrative, how does that affect the way we see our agency and the changes it implements?

Christopher Ayer is a Firefighter/ Paramedic/ Engine Boss Trainee/ Wildland Coordinator for Corona De Tucson Fire Department in Tucson, Arizona. The expressions and views are those of the author.

How is Your Fitness for Change?

Author: Nick Terrell, Bureau of Land Management Fire

Wildland fire is a highly dynamic work environment. We all know that. Because of this, I believe most of our workforce handles change on the fireline exceptionally well. Line gets burned over. Fine, we got Plan B, C, and D. But how do we handle change off the fireline? And what happens to our fitness for change over time? As wildland firefighters, are we taught to manage change well? Honestly assess your workplace culture and attitudes. How do you, your peers, your supervisors, and your subordinates react when posed with changes in the workplace?

What do you feel when you are told you have to learn a new process for timekeeping? How do you react when you are told that you need to take another yearly recurrency training? Think about it. Do you meet change with acceptance or resistance? As leaders, our behaviors are always on display and people are always watching. Your reactions and attitudes in response to change will send ripples through out your organization. 100 percent. Whether that ripple be witnessed by a large audience or a single individual – maybe the “greenest” rookie firefighter that doesn’t know any better – the way you handle yourself will have an influence.

The ability to handle change in a productive manner is a Personal Anchor Skill, and an absolute necessity for wildland fire leaders. So now ask yourself this one; as wildland firefighters, are we taught to manage change well? I don’t think we are. I think back through my years on crews, working on local units for leaders that took the “company line” stance and promoted a process change they were handed because it was their duty. But I could always sense when they were not on board with the change. What does it say when you watch a leader do this?

I strongly disagree with the school of thought that leaders are born. This implies that true leaders are not learners, and they start with all the tools they need. Set aside all those individuals that are born with a high fitness for change, this post isn’t for them. The rest of us need to build our fitness for change through experience. But what opportunities exist – in our interagency fire training curriculum, our respective agency training catalogs, or personal lives – to build our fitness for change in our careers off the fireline?

Last question: what happens to our fitness for change over time? Does all the dynamic change that we experience on the fireline impact our ability to embrace change in our day jobs? Or maybe at home? I think it does. I have observed within myself, the development of a strong need to control my environment during times of increased stress and change after years on the fireline. It’s not good or bad, it just is what it is. It’s the behavior I was trained to exhibit as a crew member and leader of handcrews. But is it the appropriate behavior to exhibit when I am not in a dynamic environment but happen to be stressed? Probably not.

We have a Duty to develop our subordinates for the future. We must have Respect for our jobs and build the team within our organizations. We must have the Integrity to always set a positive example no matter the audience. I believe that a high fitness for change is a core skill – a Personal Anchor Skill – that fire leaders must model to fulfill the values of Duty, Respect, and Integrity.

I would like to hear what you think. There is good information out there that can help deepen your understanding of resistance to change. Check out the sources listed at the end of the post and throw some comments back at me with your thoughts on how we could collectively improve this Personal Anchor Skill.

“What Leaders Need to Know About Change.” Taylor Harrell. TED Talk. 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EvkGX_lr1A

“The Real Reason People Don’t Change.” Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey. Harvard Business Review. 2001. https://hbr.org/2001/11/the-real-reason-people-wont-change

Nick Terrell is a career federal wildland firefighter. Following a career altering injury, he left his position on a hand crew for a wildland fire support position. The career change has allowed him to pursue a master’s degree at Boise State University studying Conflict Management and Leadership. He still maintains operational fire qualifications and is a diligent student of fire. 

Leadership: A Bridge to Culture

Author: Christopher Ayer, Corona De Tucson Fire Department

Can one person change an organization? At first, it may seem like an impossible task, akin to Atlas carrying the universe for eternity. But could we be overestimating the weight of this challenge? Perhaps we are all Atlas and just don't realize it yet.

Can two people or a small group influence the direction of an organization? Could they shift the culture of an agency with hundreds of employees toward positivity? I've been on a championship-caliber team that couldn’t win a game. You'd think they were different teams, but it was the same team. Positive culture and key leadership from individuals and a head coach can have a profound impact when building a team. Going from winless to conference championship may sound like a made-for-TV movie, but it's possible—I was part of it.

We study, read, and discuss leadership routinely and constantly as we progress from FFT1 to ENGB. If you are reading this, you are seeking a better understanding of leadership. There are podcasts, books, and TED Talks devoted to the subject. But how do we take these philosophies and apply them to functional change in our workplaces, apparatus, and crews?

Culture is the summation of leadership. All the study, self-growth, and practice aim to create a positive, winning culture. It's hard to define and even harder to put into words. Isn't it what we are all trying to achieve by becoming leaders? A positive culture promotes growth and knowledge, creating a safe and secure environment where people want to work. The work is efficient and smooth, and people enjoy it; they go the extra mile. People reminisce about crews or teams that had this positive culture and tell stories about it. Conversely, a negative culture is easy to spot, with in-fighting, toxic behaviors, and negativity. People talk about it just as much, sharing stories about bad bosses or dysfunctional crews. We've all seen that crew or team and thought, "I'm so glad I don't have to work with them."

Back to my original question: Can one person create that change? Could two people really transform a toxic team into a place where people want to work? Yes, because culture, like leadership, is about relationships and influence. Being positive and motivated is contagious. It is daunting and doesn't happen overnight, but those actions are the catalyst for improvement. My personal experience has shown that a positive culture is paramount to individual success and team achievement. Championship-level teams work at a much higher level and more efficiently than winless teams. The same is true in the fire service—a crew with a great culture will outperform a dysfunctional one every time, and with a smile on their faces. Our mission is to scratch lines and plumb in progressive packs, and eventually, with a lot of work, put out the fire. If our crews are doing this with a smile and enjoying their teammates, the work will go smoother, and more will be accomplished, with the added bonus of fulfillment from being part of the team.

So, can you change your team or your agency? The answer is – yes. Leadership is the role that initiates the process of creating a positive culture. Communication, respect, personal and professional growth are the building blocks of leadership and culture. Many of us undertake the journey of leadership to change things we don't like, but ultimately, these leadership goals are the first steps in improving culture.

If you want to start thinking about culture and how it can be grown or changed, check out: The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle.

Christopher Ayer is a Firefighter/ Paramedic/ Engine Boss Trainee/ Wildland Coordinator for Corona De Tucson Fire Department in Tucson, Arizona. The expressions and views are those of the author.

Courses, Simulations, and Education: "How Do We Teach Our Profession?"

 Author: Christopher Ayer, Corona De Tucson Fire Department

Training, mentoring, practice, education, knowledge—are they different or synonymous with the same outcome? Recently, I've taken a hiatus from writing due to a new baby and enrolled in school to further my career. Just a tad busy this off-season. During class, there's been a lot of rote memorization and constant attention to definitions to pass written tests. There isn't a person reading this who hasn’t been PowerPointed to death, reading each word off a 150-slide presentation, one slide at a time. We work in a dynamic and changing environment where situations constantly arise requiring people to be educated for their safety and the safety of others. But how do we develop a robust system to achieve that? How do we train new leaders to provide that?

Training—Training is one of the most critical parts of what we do. Cutting lines, setting up a Mark 3 pump, performing an incident within an incident—training is the hands-on portion that we all find enjoyable. It's the reason why we're wildland firefighters; desk jobs are not for us. This is an entire day in our S-130 class. But how do we make it better and more involved without actually putting fire on the ground? We don’t always have the environment to conduct a live fire exercise. Developing training takes time and imagination to build realistic scenarios that meet the needs and levels of those we are training. How do you balance training for a new seasonal firefighter along with a seven-year driver-operator who has seen it all before?

Practice—It's the customary, habitual, or expected procedure or way of doing something. This is the piece that often gets glossed over from training and education. It's the actual application of knowledge, training, and education to real-world action. Fire response simulations—this is where we make mistakes and try new things that we think could work well. The greatest gains for a team or individual come through the practice of what we have learned. I equate it to sports—the IA flagging fire is like the simplest dive play in football or pick and roll in basketball. Mastery comes from doing it so often that you can add "wrinkles" or change the play on the fly because everyone knows it so well. Mastery of our job has to come through proficiency gained through practice.

Education—Education is the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university. Classes are designed for us to leave with conceptual knowledge. It's an important component of what we do. Formal education has centralized our communication and built the system that we have today. A tender is a tender, and a tanker is a tanker. The classes are a critical point to keep the process moving forward, but they should not be a stand-alone source of education. We can't send people to class and think that's all they need to move on or that they know what they need to know. It's one piece of the larger puzzle.

Mentor/Mentoring—New hires and newer personnel are treated one of two ways: either they ask a billion questions and never really get an answer, or they are told to just keep quiet and watch. If we take the time to use this point in their career to set their trajectory by instilling useful pieces of information and explanation, it builds a culture and environment of education. If we are constantly giving out information, it acts as a catalyst for the mentor also in retaining and reconnecting to information. It also creates an environment where re-learning or requiring information is paramount, which will only aid all of us when we need it most.

Knowledge—Knowledge covers the entire gambit of all aspects. It is the gold standard that we are trying to get our personnel to reach. But it is not gained overnight or in a season but by tying all of their experiences, classes, conversations and trainings into a working rolodex to draw from. It is also not gained just by working your way through our courses. Individuals need to be drawing on supporting information from other opportunities for learning. The more you engulf yourself in our profession, the more you begin to tie each experience to the associated information, creating a spiderweb of how everything works together.

Back to the original question: are they all synonymous? I believe that each piece is nuanced. These different concepts must be built together to create well-skilled and capable wildland firefighters. The harder part is implementing this idea. Easier said than done, right? But with a changing workforce, this might be an easy win to show new personnel the culture that the wildfire community has developed.

Christopher Ayer is a Firefighter/ Paramedic/ Engine Boss Trainee/ Wildland Coordinator for Corona De Tucson Fire Department in Tucson, Arizona. The expressions and views are those of the author.